Anthony Casso 16802-050
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Anthony “Gaspipe” Casso born May 21, 1942 is a New York mobster and the former powerful Underboss of the Lucchese crime family.
Standing 5′6 and weighing 185 pounds, Casso was a violent youth and street gang member of the infamous 1950’s gang, the South Brooklyn Boys
At the age of 30 Casso murdered a drug dealer who was suspected of cooperating with the government becoming a full member of the Lucchese family
Casso and another young soldier, by the name of Vittorio “Vic” Amuso, soon started a criminal partnership that would last for years. They committed scores of crimes, including drug trafficking, burglary and murder. Lucchese boss Anthony Corallo, seeing a guilty verdict coming in his trial, picked Casso as new Lucchese boss. Casso refused and instead made the suggestion that Amuso should become the new boss.
Under new Lucchese leader Amuso, Casso became the family underboss replacing Mariano Macaluso who retired in 1989, Casso had as much influence as Amuso however.
Amuso and Casso shared huge profits from their family’s illegal activities. These profits included: $15,000 to $20,000 a month from extorting Long Island carting companies; $75,000 a month in kickbacks from eight air freight carriers that guaranteed them labor peace and no union benefits for their workers; $20,000 a week in profits from illegal video gaming machines; and $245,000 annually from a major concrete supplier, the Quadrozzi Concrete Company.” Amuso and Casso also split more than $200,000 per year from the Garment District rackets, as well as a cut of all the crimes committed by the family’s soldiers.
After Amuso was sent to prison in 1991, which it has been suggested that Casso played a part in luring Amuso to the meeting place where he was arrested, Casso became the de facto boss of the family. It was said that Casso wanted complete control of the family and set up Amuso to be taken down by the FBI, at a mall where he was supposed to meet Casso. While evading authorities for over three years, Casso maintained control over the Lucchese family, reportedly ordering 11 deaths as well as conspiring with Genovese leader Vincent “Chin” Gigante to retaliate against Gambino leader John Gotti.
Casso agreed to become a government informant when he was caught by the FBI and realized that they had a enormous about of evidence against him.
Casso told the NYPD that they had two detectives on the Lucchese payroll, and they committed eight of the eleven murders that Casso had ordered, but the government decided that Casso was unqualified as a witness and was dropped from the witness protection program in October 2008, he is serving a life sentence without parole.